After many days of cold, rain, and wind, today is a beautiful warm sunny day. Le montagne, coperte da un mantello dai colori autunnali, si stagliano contro il cielo perfettamente azzurro (the mountains, cloaked in autumnal colors, are silhouetted against a perfectly blue sky).

We decided to go out for a walk in the hills. At the road junction down in the valley, near the river, I spotted an old apple tree covered with big red apples. It was a beautiful sight, and I couldn’t resist picking a few windfall apples that were lying on the verge beside the road, just enough to fill up my small rucksack. I’m going to use them to make a classic Italian cake, la crostata di mele. Se volete provare a farla, ecco la ricetta: (if you want to try to make it, here is the recipe:)

Preparazione: (Preparation:)

To make the pastry, mix the flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl, then rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, add the eggs and the lemon rind, and mix to a soft dough. Knead lightly, wrap in cling film and chill for 30 minutes.

Peel, quarter, and core the apples; slice thinly and put them in a large bowl. Sprinkle the apple slices with the liqueur or lemon juice, cover with sugar and leave them to soak.

Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 28 cm loose-based flan tin. Arrange the apple slices on top of the pastry in concentric circles, glaze with a thin layer of apricot jam, and bake in a medium hot oven (190°C, 375°F, Gas Mark 5) for about 40 minutes.

Buon Appetito!